The Beginner’s Guide to Diamonds

Whether you’re looking for a ring to pop the question with, or a special pair of earrings, then you can do no wrong with diamonds. However, they can be tricky to navigate, so take a look at this short guide to choosing the perfect diamond.

Diamonds are among the rarest material on earth, and so are incredibly valuable. When cut right, they sparkle beautifully and draw the eye fantastically.

The Gemological Institute of America’s universal grading system allows you to objectively rate the diamond, making it easy to compare them. They are known as the four Cs.

The Cut   

The cut of a diamond could mean one of two things. The first meaning is the shape of the diamond, such as a ‘princess cut’ diamond, and the second is the reflective qualities of the diamond itself. The reflective qualities of a diamond are what it is graded on.

The type of cut that a diamond has gives it its sparkle, and a poor cut will only reflect a small proportion of the light that enters it. Cuts range from an ‘ideal’ cut, which is one of the finest money can buy, to ‘fair and poor’ which have been cut to maximise the carat weight and doesn’t reflect much light.

The Clarity

Diamonds are also graded for quality, under 10x loupe magnification. The grades range from ‘flawless’, which are completely free of blemishes to ‘included 3’ which have heavy blemishes that are visible to the naked eye. Flawless diamonds are extremely rare and therefore very expensive, but diamonds of grades where flaws aren’t visible to the naked eye are acceptable for most.

The Colour    

The less colour that a diamond has, the more valuable it is. A colourless diamond will reflect more light than a diamond with colour in it, so will be more brilliant and sparkly. To the untrained eye, subtleties in the colour of a diamond may be missed. While a colourless diamond is the ultimate, diamonds with slight colouring can still be very attractive, and can also be influenced by the colour of the jewellery it is set in.

Carat Weight

A carat is a unit of measurement, used to weigh a diamond. Large diamonds will weigh more, will have a higher carat weight and will be more valuable. However, the way it looks will be relative to the things around it. If, for instance, the diamond is set on a thin band on a slender hand, then the diamond will look larger.

Take your time to consider your diamond purchase carefully by looking at a variety of different outlets such as Diamond Boutique, and be sure that you’re happy with your purchase before you buy.